Mary Ann Hudson

Executive Vice President, Bibby Transportation Finance

Biography:

Mary Ann brings over two decades of finance expertise to Bibby Transportation Finance and its FreightCheck financing solution. In a traditionally male-dominated industry, she stands out as a leader and has provided hundreds of millions in financing to companies responsible for keeping America’s goods moving. Active in many transportation-focused organizations, including the American Trucking Association and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Mary Ann has a keen understanding of the needs of the transportation industry and has been a pioneer of easy-to-access services that are driven by the digital habits of customers that primarily do business while on the road. She started her career in customer service at Comdata and quickly advanced through the company by specializing in project management and becoming a Six Sigma Black Belt. After serving as Comdata’s operations manager for the Financial Services Division, Mary Ann joined Bibby Financial Services in 2006 and used her operations and efficiency knowledge to help support the back-office functions of factoring clients. After gaining experience supporting individual and fleet truck owners, Mary Ann began to focus her efforts on the transportation industry and became executive vice president of Bibby Transportation Finance in 2010. In the coming year, Mary Ann is focused on finding more ways to connect with potential clients online and is overseeing development of a mobile application geared towards an on-the-move audience.

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

I would tell women just getting started with their careers in this industry to prepare to learn every day.  There are very few people in this world that know everything and the sooner you realize this and take full advantage of what you can learn from all the people around you, the stronger you and your team will be. 

What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career?

In the beginning, you are so driven to prove your place in the position/company and you want to do all the big things to get you to the top and to gain the recognition as soon as possible. While having ambition and drive is certainly a good thing, you have to be mindful to celebrate the small successes and appreciate the people that helped along the way. If you take the time to acknowledge accomplishments at every stage and the people along the way that helped you, you will find your success may come sooner than if you are trying it all on your own. You may be capable of achieving much on your own, but this industry certainly requires a team effort. The ability to confidently work with other people and building professional relationships will get you so much further than going it alone.

What kind of role has mentoring and/or sponsorship played in your career?

I truly feel I would not be where I am today if it were not for my very first mentor, Patsy.  I have so much respect for what she accomplished and endured in her career.   The fact that I was so young and she gave me the opportunity to learn from her, was one of the best things to happen to my career.  She taught me so many things but some of the most important were seeing the examples she set with her strong work ethic, patience and passion for everything she did. I feel honored and proud to share some of the lessons taught to me by my first mentor and through the other relationships I’ve fostered over the course of my career with other business professionals. Throughout my career, I’ve tried to share these same lessons with those I mentor, too.    

What do you think the industry could do to attract and retain the best and the brightest today?

 It’s important for industry leaders to continually invest in their people. A good leader acknowledges that their team is made up of the good people that surround them because one can accomplish more through teamwork than they can alone.  Remember, investment is not just about monetary value; it can include investing time in an employee’s personal and professional development, being a motivator/encourager, and verbal recognition of individual and team contributions.